BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday reiterated her demand to disband the Rapid Action Battalion saying that the elite force is no longer necessary in the country as it is working against the people and involved in killing, enforced disappearance and abduction.
“The force had now become bloodsucker and killers. It has no longer any necessity as they stood against people. The people will remain in panic as long as this force will be existed,” she said while consoling members of five families of the seven murder victims at the residence of slain Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam at West Mijmiji at Siddhirganj upazila in the troubled district.
The former premier, who went to the residence of Nazrul at 12:10pm, alleged that the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) had helped Nur Hossain, the prime accused in the Narayanganj seven murder enter a country across the border.“We have come to know that the elite force sent Nur Hossain to India. They are helping offenders flee the country and carrying out killngs enforced disappearance and abduction,” she said.
She expressed her wonder as the sacked Rab officials had not yet been arrested despite the High Court order and questioned why they are so powerful and terrorised people.
“It is now clear who were behind the murders, the government is not arresting them. It’s proved that the regime is patronising the killers. This is a killer regime. They’ve indulged in killing spree by using the elite force,” she added.
Khaleda said the chief of the Rab-11, who was reportedly involved in the murders, considered himself as very powerful person as he is a son-in-law of a minister of the cabinet of the present government.
She demanded immediately arrest of all the criminals and sacked officials involved in the seven murders and pour them in jail.
“If the murders are not given highest punishment, the people of Narayanganj and all other parts of the country would take to streets. We will also be forced to take to the streets,” she warned.
Hundreds of local people and party leaders and activists thronged in front of the both residences of Nazrul and Chandan Sarker at Mijmiji and Jalkuri to mark the visit of former premier. The surrounding areas virtually turned into separate rallies. People standing on both the sides of the nearby roads showed placards and chanted slogans demanding the trial of the killers and welcoming Khaleda to Narayanganj.
Khaleda made the visit to the residence of the victims families in the wake of denial of permission to the BNP to hold rally in Narayanganj.
Referring to the allegations of victims’ family members that they were receiving threats for giving information about the gruesome killings she said none would be spared if anyone of these family members suffers any harm.
The former premier cautioned about dire consequences of any attack on the families of the victims and said, “The country will be in flames if anybody dared touch anyone of them.”
She demanded the government to quit power shouldering the responsibility of the seven murder and said killings, enforced disappearances and abductions would not stop as long as the regime was there in office. “This government must quit,” she added.”
The government cannot avoid the responsibility of countrywide incidents of abductions and clandestine killing of people including of Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam and six others, she added.
She also threatened to wage a movement if killers of Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam and six others are not arrested immediately.
“If the killers are not arrested immediately, BNP will call upon the people of Narayanganj to wage a tough movement,” she said.
The BNP chairperson talked to the bereaved family members of Nazrul and four other victims –Tajul, Liton, Swapan and Jahangir — at Nazrul’s Rose Garden residence and consoled them. She spent about half an hour with them.
Later, she went to the Jalkuri residence of another victim lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarker at Fatullah upazila in the same district.
Family members of Chandan’s slain diver Ibrahim was also present there.
She assured the bereaved family members that if the present government dies not hold trials of the killers, they would put them on trial if BNP voted to power.
Khaleda demanded ensuring the security of each of the family members of the victims.
She claimed that it was not seven, but 11 people were killed in the incident. “The rest of the victims were boatmen…they are also human beings, but they are not coming to the limelight as they are poor,” she said.
Consoling the wife of Chandan, the BNP chief said she also lost her husband and she knows the pains and agony of losing husband.
“You might not get him back again but will get consolation if the killers are tried. We’ve tried to speak against killings and forced disappearances here, but the government denied us the scope. We will speak against it in Demra rally scheduled for May 17,” she added.
Khaleda extended full support to the movement of the lawyers community including that of taken by Narayanganj District Bar Council to ensure justice for the bereaved family members.
Chandan’s daughter Susmita Sarker in an emotion-choked voice expressed gratitude to Khaleda for visiting and consoling them. The family members bust into tears as Khaleda was consoling them.
Khaleda started her journey from her Gulshan residence around 11:15am and left Narayanganj for Dhaka around 2:10pm.
BNP leaders–Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Barrister Moudud Ahmed, Lt Gen (Retd) Mahbubur Rahman, Tariqul Islam, Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and Sadeque Hossain Khoka, district BNP leaders–Toimur Alam Khandaker, Kazi Monir, former MP Gais Uddin, AFM Iqbal, among others, were present on the occasion.
Nazrul Islam, his three associates, driver, senior lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarker and his driver were abducted on April 27 and their bodies were recovered on April 30 from Sitalakkhya river.
On May 4, Nazrul’s father-in-law Shahidul Islam alleged that RAB members abducted Nazrul from near Shibu Market and killed him in exchange for Tk 6 crore.
Later, three Rab officials— Commanding Officer of Rab-11 Lt Col Tareque Sayeed Mohammad, Maj Arif Hossain and Lt Commander SM Masud Rana—have been dismissed for their alleged involvement in the abduction and killing of the seven people.
Of them, Tareque is son-in-law of Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya.
Meanwhile, the family members of five of the victims –slain Narayanganj city councillor Nazrul Islam, Moniruzzaman Khan Swapan, Driver Jahangir, Tajul and Liton also met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganobhaban earlier on Monday evening. – Staff Reporter
